Crunchy Kitchen Tips

The kitchen is where I feel like our lifestyle meets our values. It's evident in our mostly-brandless fridge. It happens when our meals are filled with healing herbs. It's the practice of eating meat that was raised well. Here are some tips to bring your kitchen in line with your food ethics.

Here's the theory: 

1. Know where your food comes from. In general, the closer to your home the source of this food is the better. The more knowable it is (farmer vs. factory) the better. A good indicator of how well you're doing this is how many brands you can identify in your refrigerator. The fewer brands, the more likely you've sourced locally and independently. 
2. Use traditional methods. Things like soaking beans or grains before you cook them or eating fermented foods are time tested. As some experts say, eat like your grandma. 
3. Eat seasonally. This is a big one that helps you access different foods at the height of their nutrition. To me, there's something spiritual about knowing your food this way, appreciating it while it is there, looking forward to its perfect version in 11 months. (I pine for strawberries!) I sometimes worry I'm not getting the RDA for different vitamins until I remember that this is how people who were healthier than me ate for centuries. Our bodies seem to respond to such rhythm and I want to honor that. 

Here's some nuts and bolts, practical stuff:

1. When you cook, have a broth bowl and a compost bowl out. This makes it easy to save what can be used once more and it keeps your counter free of debris. After losing knives under piles of onion skins more times than I can count, this tip makes the practice of using every scrap and composting what can't be used easy. At the end of prep, I simply toss the yuck in a composter and dump the broth bits in a half gallon jar I keep in the freezer. 
2. Have one knife that impresses you. We spent ten dollars on a single chef's knife. There are certainly  more expensive knives out there, but it took us a long time to invest this much! I chop garlic and onions in one third the time. Annoying chops like potatoes or squash are not a problem anymore. Invest in one. Your life will be so much easier. 
3. Avoid non-stick. It's pretty difficult, but you'll be grateful you did. So many chemicals are present in the non-stick materials out there. And for the record, there's not a decent or well-known chef in the world who actually advocates in favor of non-stick. 
4. Other than that, check thrift stores first for kitchen needs. Our kitchen is well stocked with pans and most are from the local AmVets. People will give away amazing plates, tools they didn't know how to use, serving trays. Awesome stuff that may appear outdated to someone who doesn't eat home as much as you or me. 
5. Don't buy it. I promise, you really don't need that mini cupcake maker or fancy deep fryer. There were ways to do these things before these appliances came to be and there are still ways to do them! 
6. Try it once. I swear to you it was only six years ago that I tried popping popcorn without a microwave. It didn't believe it could be done with the same efficacy. When it was even better, I moved on to larger challenges to make my food more like food. I'm amazed by how NOT hard things I used to think needed industrial help are to make. From eggnog, to pudding, to angel food cake, to creme brûlée: it has been more delicious and much faster than leaving my house to make these at home. Savory food is typically even easier. You'll fall in love. I promise. 
7. Breath. It won't be perfect. Meh. Breathe through it and let it go.